Actor Mahira Khan, cricketer Shadab Khan and actor Osman Khalid Butt are among celebrities who have raised their voices and hands in prayer for the safe return of Dua Zehra, a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped five days ago.
Dua went missing from Karachi’s Al-Falah area around April 17. The teenager’s family said she had gone downstairs to dispose of some garbage. They also revealed that she hasn’t been in school for a year and a half now.
“I don’t have an enmity with anyone. I have received two calls for ransom from the kidnappers. One of the calls was made from a landline number, while the other was made from a mobile phone number on WhatsApp,” said the father. After receiving the ransom calls, he immediately informed the police about them.
An active investigation is in process and the kidnapping case has also been registered on Zainab Alert but with each passing day, the family grows more anxious. They threatened to commit suicide outside Governor House if their daughter was not safely recovered.
Social media is flooded with netizens re-sharing the missing person’s poster in the hopes of spreading the news and finding her. Social media users are hoping for the best and they are not alone. Celebrities have joined in and sent out their prayers for Dua’s safe return.
Mahira said she’s praying with all her heart for Dua to return “safe and sound” “today” and tagged the relevant authorities to get more help. Shadab made a collective prayer for all missing children saying, “May she and all missing children get back to their parents safely.” He also urged the authorities to “protect and safeguard our children.”
Butt included her in his prayers as well.
Actor HIra Mani uttered a dua for Dua and said, “Dua Zehra!!! God is protecting you. Amen.”
She also reposted the missing person poster that contains relevant contact numbers and information in case she’s spotted. Fahad Mirza re-shared the same poster, urging people to contact the number if there is any news. He also penned a prayer for her safety.
Recently, Dua’s parents mentioned in a live show that a mosque refused to make a missing person’s announcement for their daughter because it was a “Shia name”. Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy posted a screenshot of the news on her Instagram story and expressed her disgust. “This is EVERYTHING that is wrong with Pakistan and I am truly disgusted today that this is how mosques behave – it is a place to come together, not to tear us apart,” she concluded with a reminder, adding a broken heart emoji.